


June 26, 2015

by RyspositoWritings



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Child Abuse, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 09:37:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4216722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyspositoWritings/pseuds/RyspositoWritings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Cas will never forget.</p><p>A quick fic to celebrate the legalization of gay marriage in all 50 United States today. Congratulations to all of us! This is a step in the right direction and I couldn't be happier :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	June 26, 2015

**June 26, 2015**

Dean Winchester had just walked out of his bedroom and started the coffee. His brother Sam turned on the tv to check the news before going into work. When they heard, they stood in shock

~.~.~

**October 2, 1983**

“Castiel, honey where are you going with daddy’s bowtie? And why is there toilet paper on your head?”

Four year old Castiel Novak stopped in his tracks and turned to his mother. He had three pieces of toilet paper taped to the top of his head and draped down the back like a veil and a bouquet of yellow dandelions held close to his chest, his father’s black bowtie in his other hand.

Castiel smiled wide. “Dean and I are playing wedding!” He announced happily. “Dean had to borrow daddy’s bowtie because the toilet paper kept breaking. I’m the bride.” He held his bouquet up to his mother.

Rather than act happy about her son’s creativity at only four years old, Mrs. Novak frowned. “You and Dean are pretending to get married?” She asked.

Castiel’s face fell at his mother’s lack of enthusiasm. “Yeah.” He said. “Dean said he watched a movie with his mommy and there was a wedding at the end. He said it would be fun.”

“Weddings are fun, sweetie, but boys don’t get married to each other. You have to marry a girl, those are the rules.”

Castiel was thoroughly confused about that statement. “Why?” He asked.

Mrs. Novak hesitated and knelt down. “Well, because it’s not right. You have a mommy and daddy and Dean has a mommy and daddy and that’s how things are supposed to be.” She reached up and carefully peeled the makeshift veil from her son’s head. “Can you imagine if you had two daddies?”

Castiel thought about it for a minute. “I think that would be fun.” He said softly.

“But then you wouldn’t have a mommy.” She reasoned. “Don’t you like having a mommy?”

Castiel nodded.

“And that’s how it should be. All little boys need a mommy and daddy.” She took the flowers and bowtie from him as well. “Now go out and play something a little more appropriate.” She gave him a smile and stood, walking off to do whatever it was mommies did with their time.

Castiel stood in the hallway for a time, still not completely sure if he’d gotten an answer or not. It wasn’t a satisfactory answer to be sure.

“Hey, Cas.” Four year old Dean said, coming back into the house. “Where’d ya go?” He asked. “I thought you were getting your dad’s bowtie.”

Castiel looked up at him and shrugged slightly. “My mommy said we can’t play wedding.” He said softly. “She said boys can’t get married to each other.”

Dean made a face. “Why not?”

“I don’t know.” Castiel said truthfully. “She just said that’s the way it should be.”

~.~.~

**June 26, 2015**

Castiel Novak was on his second cup of coffee. He’d planned to go into the office late that morning and decided to take his time relaxing. He switched on the news to have some sort of background noise while he enjoyed his Friday morning. When he heard, he almost dropped his mug.

~.~.~

**November 5, 1983**

Dean sat next to his father, baby Sammy in his dad’s arms, as his mother’s eulogy was read. Castiel sat on his other side, not saying a word and trying to be as supportive as a four year old could. The child wasn’t without his own grief. He’d liked going to Dean’s house and eating Mary Winchester’s pies. She’d promised to give him the recipe when he was old enough to cook.

Dean sniffed and looked down, tears starting to run down his nose.

Castiel looked over at him and reached out, grabbing his hand. Dean looked up and squeezed Castiel’s hand back, giving him a slight smile.

After a while, Mrs. Novak noticed the two boys holding hands.

“Castiel!” She hissed.

Castiel dropped Dean’s hand and looked guiltily up at his mother.

She raised an eyebrow and shook her head. “Don’t bother Dean now.” She whispered, pulling her son closer and away from Dean.

Both boys felt the cold absence of the other’s hand.

~.~.~

**June 26, 2015**

Dean barely had time to put his shoes on before he grabbed his keys and jacket. Sam smiled as he watched him bolt out the door wearing nothing but a sleeveless top and a pair of boxers.

~.~.~

**August 10, 1992**

“Okay, that’s not fair.” Dean said as Castiel stood on his doorstep, all tanned from his three months at band camp.

Castiel was at least four inches taller than Dean now, and it was in no way fair. Damn thirteen year old hormones needed to kick in already.

Castiel laughed, his voice suddenly deeper than it had been when he left. Dean once again cursed his own squeaky voice. Sam had been making fun of him all summer, but he was going to get that boy back in four years when his own voice started cracking.

“Okay, well, come on in, Casanova. We’ve only got a couple days of summer left before school starts, and I have a plan to kick your ass at every video game I’ve got.”

Castiel smiled. “Only if I let you, Dean.”

“Cas!” Sam said from the table. He stood and ran over to give him a hug.

“Hey, Sam.” Castiel said. “What’s with the floppy hair?” He asked, picking up a few strands and letting them fall.

“I’m telling you, Sammy.” Dean said, flopping down on the couch. “Just give me an hour with a pair of scissors.”

“Don’t you dare touch my hair, Dean.” Sam said, putting a hand to his head. “I like it this way. Besides, Cas said you used to have long hair too.”

“Dammit, Cas, why are you telling him shit like that?”

“Language, Dean.” Cas laughed, stepping over to the couch and flopping next to his best friend. “Where is your father.”

It was meant to be a joke, but Dean just shrugged. “I dunno, he left last night and I haven’t heard from him all day. Now, prepare to be annihilated. Sammy’s not a good opponent, I need someone who will bring a challenge to the table.”

~.~.~

**June 26, 2015**

Castiel set down his mug and lifted his keys from the hook. He barely remembered to lock his front door before he was in his car. He took a second to breathe before pulling out of his driveway and taking off down the road.

~.~.~

**March 7, 1996**

“Hey, Cas, sorry to call so late.” Dean said over the phone. “I hope your mom’s not mad.”

“No, no one was asleep yet anyway. What’s up?”

Dean hesitated.

“Dean?” Castiel asked.

“My dad he… I dunno, he’s drunk and he’s acting crazy and… Well, can me and Sam come stay the night? My dad’s already passed out, but I don’t want to stay here.”

“Yeah, just let me ask my mom.” Castiel said. “Hey mom?” He asked her softly. “Can Dean and Sam stay the night? Dean and I have a project that I totally forgot about and he doesn’t want to leave Sam alone. Their dad’s out on business again. I can set everything up in the living room and we’ll be quiet, I swear.” It was their go-to lie. Dean didn’t want his dad to get into trouble, and Cas’ mom always let them come over if homework was involved.

Mrs. Novak sighed. “Alright, I suppose.” She said. “But don’t stay up too late, you have school tomorrow.”

Castiel nodded. “She said it’s fine, Dean.” He said into the phone.

“We’ll be there in five minutes.” Dean said before hanging up.

Almost exactly five minutes later, Castiel was opening the door to find the boys standing there looking morose. Sam came in first, heading into the living room, already knowing the protocol for last minute sleepovers.

Castiel stopped when he saw Dean’s black eye.

“What did he do this time?” Cas asked softly.

Dean shrugged. “He was just drunk again.” His voice cracked and he swallowed.

Castiel hesitated before pulling Dean down into a hug. Dean’s growth spurt had finally hit him when he was almost fourteen and now at seventeen he was taller than Castiel.

Dean hesitated before wrapping his arms around Castiel’s middle, pulling him closer. Castiel could feel a few tears hit his shoulder where Dean had buried his face and instantly wanted to go beat John Winchester’s face in with a brick. Instead, he let Dean cry on his shoulder, knowing he couldn’t beat John Winchester in a fight anyway.

Castiel pulled away after a second and reached up to very gently touch the bruise. Dean closed his eyes at the touch and let a couple of tears fall.

“Castiel?”

Castiel dropped his hand immediately and turned right before his mother rounded the corner.

“Oh, there you are.” She stopped when she noticed Dean. “Dean, what happened to your face?” She asked.

Dean let out a chuckle. Castiel could tell it was hollow and fake, and only hoped his mother was fooled. “I was trying to teach Sammy how to throw a baseball. Next time, I’m using a catcher’s mask.”

“Ooh, it looks painful.” Mrs. Novak said. “Castiel, why don’t you go get Dean an ice pack from the freezer? And don’t stay up too late, you boys have school in the morning.”

“Yes ma’am.” Dean said.

Mrs. Novak smiled and turned toward her bedroom, leaving the boys to their “project”.

Castiel went into the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack like he’d been instructed. He stepped back into the living room to find Dean and taken off his shoes and he and Sam were sitting in the mess of blankets Cas had set up, looking lost.

Castiel sat next to Dean and handed him the ice pack. “You guys wanna watch a movie? We can’t turn it up too loud, but we can turn on the subtitles. We’ve also got some snacks if you’re hungry.”

“Cas, you really don’t have to-”

“I’ll go grab the food, Dean. Sam, go ahead and pick out a movie.” Castiel ran to the kitchen and opened the pantry. He pulled out a bag of chips, a bag of pretzels, some kind of off brand granola bars, and three sodas.

Dean stood when he saw Cas trying to juggle all the snacks and took a few things from him so they wouldn’t drop. He handed Sam his soda and the bag of chips and then took his own soda and the granola bars.

Dean sat back down and Cas sat next to him. Sam had picked out the same movie they’d watched the last three times, but no one said a word. This was Sam’s favorite movie to watch when he was sad, and they were completely okay with letting Sam do what he wanted.

After about an hour, Castiel found himself nodding off and ended up half asleep with his head on Dean’s shoulder. Dean looked over and smiled. He shifted a little to make himself comfortable, but that startled Cas awake and he popped his head up.

“Oh, sorry.” He said, feeling the blush creep up his neck.

“No, don’t be.” Dean said quickly. “I… it was nice…”

Castiel’s face softened and he resumed his position, this time with Dean’s arm around his shoulders.

They both assumed Sam had fallen asleep, but he looked over at them and smiled before snuggling closer to his brother.

The next morning they were all spread out over the blankets with no indication that anything had happened. Something Castiel was grateful for since his mother was the first to wake up and see them.

~.~.~

**June 26, 2015**

Dean slammed on the breaks when he saw Castiel’s ‘78 Lincoln speed past him.

Castiel saw Dean’s ‘67 Chevy Impala screech to a halt and stopped his own car as well.

~.~.~

**December 22, 2002**

Dean paced in his and Castiel’s dorm room. After graduation, it was no question that the boys were going to room together at college. They’d been best friends since they were three, so everyone expected it. Now, four years later right before their last semester, here they still were.

Sam had come to visit from Stanford, but instead of visiting John, he came to visit Dean and Cas. Neither of the boys had talked to John since Sam turned eighteen and moved out the year before, so it wasn’t surprising that they were spending another Christmas without him.

They’d planned to have a special movie night that night, watching Sam’s favorite movie and ordering pizza, except Castiel was running late, something he’d never done before, and it had Dean worried.

“Just go check on your boyfriend, Dean.” Sam said from his spot on the table.

“Shut up, Sasquatch.” Dean said angrily.

Sam had surpassed both Dean and Cas in height and neither wanted to let him forget how annoyed they were by it.

“Besides that, I’m not sure where he is. He should’ve been back an hour ago.” Dean chewed on his fingernail as he stared at the door, hoping that staring at it would make Castiel appear.

About five minutes later, Castiel did come through the door. But instead of the happy expression they were hoping, he was sporting a black eye and a bloody nose.

“Cas!” Dean ran to the door and helped Castiel stand, as he was hunched over with a hand around his middle. “What happened?!”

Castiel swallowed. “I didn’t even see them, they just… came out of nowhere.”

“Who?” Sam asked, standing and letting Dean lead Cas to the chair he’d been occupying.

“I don’t know.” Castiel grunted. “I never saw their faces. Just a bunch of homophobic dicks.” He winced as his ribs protested any movement or breaths.

Dean gritted his teeth. “Where are they?” He asked. “I’ll rip their lungs out!”

“They’re long gone, Dean.” Castiel said. “They ambushed me, called me a few choice names, and then beat it before I could do anything. I guess they thought you and I were together and just wanted to make an example out of me or something.” He put a hand to his ribs. “Okay, wow, I think they kicked me really hard.”

Dean wanted to get angry and go hit something, but he kept it all in in order to make sure Cas was okay. “Okay, we gotta get you to a hospital. They may have broken your ribs, or at least cracked them. Sam, can you drive?” He didn’t trust himself not to run into something with the amount of anger fueling his adrenalin.

“Of course.” Sam said, grabbing Dean’s keys and then helping Dean half carry Cas out to the car.

~.~.~

**June 26, 2015**

Dean stepped out of his car, the motor still running, while Castiel emerged from his own car, each looking at the other like the rest of the world didn’t exist.

~.~.~

**July 22, 2006**

Dean wasn’t crying, wasn’t showing any emotion, really. He’d got the call about his father’s death three days previously and he and Cas decided to make the trip down for the funeral. Sam had met them there the day before.

When a parent dies, generally those involved grieve together. But there was hardly any emotion in the room. In fact, the most any of them could feel was relief. John Winchester’s presence was so anxiety inducing, that it really wasn’t such a sad situation when he was gone.

Sam had expressed his concerns to Castiel, worried that the fact that he felt nothing meant there was something wrong with him. Castiel had dispelled some of his worry, saying that it was okay for him not to be distraught. John Winchester wasn’t just a bad father, but possibly one of the worst. Not feeling bad about his death actually made quite a lot of sense.

It was Dean who had the worst time. He’d been verbally and physically abused by John Winchester his entire life, so the fact that he hadn’t shown any emotion whatsoever, worried his brother and his best friend more than anything.

As the casket was lowered, Dean sniffed and wiped at his nose a little. “Good riddance, you bastard.” He said softly.

Castiel looked over at him and reached down to grip his hand, the same way he’d done at his mother’s funeral. Dean didn’t look at him, but squeezed his hand back.

After the funeral, they were going to go back to their shared apartment. After Dean had graduated and Castiel started grad school, they’d decided to continue to room, not really thinking that it was weird for two guys to just room together after college was over. It was four years after graduation and neither of them had thought about leaving each other. Dean didn’t even date anymore and Castiel had given up on dating back when he was twenty.

~.~.~

**June 26, 2015**

“Hey, Cas.”

“Hello, Dean.”

~.~.~

**July 4, 2007**

Honestly, it took Dean long enough to figure it out. As Castiel let Dean hover over him on the hood of the impala and kiss the wind out of him while fireworks celebrated another year of the country’s independence, he couldn’t help but think about how honestly dense Dean was for taking as long as he had. They were already practically a married couple, having lived together for about ten years. They sometimes even shared a bed when they accidentally fell asleep after a movie marathon in Dean’s room.

Dean had been hesitant at first, not sure if he wanted make out with his best friend. But as the two of them sat and watched the fireworks, Dean figured it was time. And, of course, Castiel had been more than happy to let him. He’d seen enough Independence Day fireworks in his lifetime, it was time to see a different kind.

They barely made it to the back of the Impala before Castiel had his shirt off and Dean was kicking off his boots.

~.~.~

**June 26, 2015**

“Did you see the news?”

Castiel nodded

~.~.~

**September 17, 2012**

“So, what, that’s it?” Dean asked, trying to keep away his tears. “You’re gonna leave just like that?”

Castiel sighed. “I don’t think I have any other choices, Dean. I don’t…” He stopped to keep himself from crying. “I don’t want to leave you. I don’t.”

“Then why are you about to walk out of my house with everything you own in a fucking duffel bag?”

Castiel chewed on his lip and wiped away at his tears. “I want to marry you, Dean. I want to so bad it hurts. I just… I mean, it’s illegal, we won’t get any rights, if you get sick and go to the hospital, I can’t do anything. They can refuse to let me see you.”

“And that’s why you’re leaving? Because we can’t legally get married?”

“That’s not the whole reason.” Castiel dropped his bag and rubbed his eyes. “I got called in to my boss’ office yesterday. He tried to invite me and ‘my wife’ to some barbecue he’s throwing for all the important executives. I told him I don’t have a wife and he started trying to set me up with one of his daughters. I told him I have a boyfriend and…”

Dean hesitated, not wanting to know the rest. “And what?”

“He fired me, okay? He fired me two hours later, claiming it was because of some downsizing bullshit.” He wasn’t holding back any tears anymore. “I got fired because I’m gay, Dean!”

Dean took a step forward. “Cas…”

“I have to go.”

“Cas, we can fix this.”

“Dean, it’s not broken!” Cas yelled back. “I have no insurance, no job, I’ve got nothing. I can’t just get married to you and get a joint account and go on your insurance as your spouse and you can’t support us separately. We can’t fix anything because there’s nothing to fix.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Everywhere I go, people see me differently. They look at me like I’m some kind of abomination to the world. That’s how my own mother saw me my entire life. I can’t do it anymore, I can’t… I can’t be with you anymore.”

Dean paused. “So where are you going to go?”

“I called my brother.” Cas replied. “He said I can stay with him for a while.”

Dean nodded. “Cas?” He asked softly. “What if we could get married? Full benefits and everything?”

Castiel stopped and held his gaze for a second. “Call me when we can.” He said before grabbing his bag and shutting the door behind him.

~.~.~

**June 26, 2015**

Dean took a step forward. “I forgot to call.” He said.

Castiel gave a slight smile. “I was already out the door anyway.”

They stood in awkward silence before Dean took another couple of steps, shortening the gap between them until they were a comfortable distance, close enough to touch if they wanted.

And dear god did they want to.

“I… does this… change anything?” Dean asked after a minute.

Castiel thought about it. “I… I was sort of hoping it would, but…” He didn’t want to turn into an emotional mess, but here he was about to blubber out everything he was feeling. “Dean, I’m sorry. I… I was stupid and scared and I thought nothing was ever going to change and we were going to be stuck in this limbo forever and when I heard the news I didn’t even think, I just wanted to come find you because it felt like a sign and…”

“Shhh.”

Castiel hadn’t realized how it happened, but he was suddenly in Dean’s arms, crying into his chest like a child.

“I love you, Cas. I always have and I always will.” Dean said softly, the rumble of his chest as he spoke making Castiel feel calmer by the second. “I wanted to come to you so many times, but I didn’t feel like it was the right time, you know? Today, this morning, suddenly felt right. I think it was a sign.”

Castiel pulled back and looked up into Dean’s eyes, seeing that tears were welled up but not falling yet.

“I love you, Dean. I’m… I’m sorry.”

Dean just smiled and shook his head, leaning down to capture Castiel’s lips in a watery kiss. He pulled away a put a hand to Castiel’s cheek. “You have nothing to apologize for, Cas. Nothing.”

.

“But I left. I left you because I’m a coward and I was stupid-”

“It’s okay, Cas. It’s okay. I forgive you, if that’s what you want to hear.” He smiled.

Castiel sniffed. “I don’t think I even deserve you.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty hot shit.” Dean smiled, effectively getting the laugh out of Cas that he wanted. Dean pulled him into a rough hug and rocked back and forth for a bit.

Castiel sniffed again and pulled away.

“So,” Dean said, reaching up to wipe away Castiel’s tears. “Castiel Novak, what do ya say we go get married?”

Castiel smiled. “Of course, Dean.” He said before reaching up and kissing his fiancé.

 


End file.
